The Non-Ex
by keroRiBBIT
Summary: It was…not love at first sight exactly, but – familiarity. Like: oh, hello, it's you. It's going to be you. [High School AU] [For NejiTen Month 2019]


_It was…not love at first sight exactly, but – familiarity. Like: oh, hello, it's you. It's going to be you._

_A/n: It's been too looooong. But here you go! Happy NejiTen Month everyone!_

* * *

"Since the both of you were absent when I let them choose partners, you two will do the project together."

"Hey," Tenten said as they left the classroom and walked towards the otherwise empty halls leading outside the building.

"Hey," Neji replied in turn, polite and courteous as he looks.

"How do you want to do this report?" Tenten asked, straight to the point as she always was.

"Since the both of us are not really required to talk in front, would you like one to create the visuals and the other to report in class?" He replied, thoughtful as he always was.

"Yeah, okay," Tenten said with a shrug of her shoulders, it was always the case when it comes to partner reports and Tenten had no trouble doing either one. Still, it was polite for her to ask, "Do you prefer to talk in front or would you rather do the PowerPoint?"

It was his turn to shrug, "You choose."

Not wasting a second, "I think you should do the talking, since you can deliver it more clearly than me. I got no problem with doing PowerPoints."

Reaching the campus gates, Tenten and Neji continued to walk, seemingly going to the same direction.

"So are you cool with reporting on your own?"

"Of course," was his smooth reply. "How about the content of the report?"

"Let's just search for sources other than the textbooks and collate all information in a word document. Then let's send each other notes through Facebook. Is that fine?"

Neji nodded in response and instead of speaking in the affirmative, he stuck out a hand for her to shake.

"I'm Neji, by the way."

"I know," she said, not taking his hand.

"I know you know, and I already know your name but for formalities' sake..."

With another shrug of her shoulders, Tenten clasped her hand against his own and gave it a firm shake.

"Tenten."

He nodded in response. "Where do you go from here?" he asked, gesturing to the intersection they have come to a stop at.

"Hm?" She looked at him and he looked at her, waiting for an answer. "Oh!" she exclaimed, slight surprise coating her tone, before pointing a finger towards her right. "I go this way."

He nodded again and gestured with a thumb on the opposite direction. "I go that way."

"So this is where we part?" She asked, just to be polite.

"So it seems," he said in kind. Without an afterthought, he added, "Nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you too," she said with a smile.

With a last nod, they went on in opposite directions, neither looking back.

Their first meeting was mundane, neutral, and totally normal. Their conversation, even more so. There was neither fireworks, nor butterflies, nor sparks and lingering touches. They were quick, independent, and efficient. Typical, really.

* * *

"So am I right to believe that your friend had taken a liking to my friend?"

Tenten pulled a chair from a nearby table and placed it adjacent to his and took a seat, a hand cupping her jaw and a Cheshire grin adorning her face.

It was two months after their report (they passed with flying colors, _obviously_), and within those two months, _of course_ their relationship did _not_ grow past to being classmates. At least they went from politely ignoring each other to politely greeting each other with smiles and Hi's and Hello's. The odd conversation here and there came to pass as well, when both have nothing better to do. Thus, Neji was not at all surprised when she initiated the, albeit peculiar, topic.

Amused but not sure whether he would entertain her or not, he asked, an upturn of the lips visible, "Where did that come from?"

"A little birdie told me." She said, in an attempt to appear mysterious but purposely failing.

A sigh escaped his lips as he countered, "Does that little birdie have blonde hair and blue eyes?"

Releasing a small chuckle, "Depends, which one of them are you referring to?"

He was tempted to roll his eyes but refrained from doing so. "So I take that it was both?"

Tenten only smiled at him. "Is it true?"

Eyebrows raised, "And what do you propose we do if it were?"

Her grin only widened.

* * *

You see, Tenten had this friend (Sakura, her friend's name was Sakura) who could not get over a non-ex. But what is a non-ex? A non-ex is a person you are not in a relationship with, but the emotional investment you give to that person definitely surpasses those who, in actuality, _are_ in a relationship. Who was her friend's non-ex? That is a secret that the public will never know (It's Sasuke. Sakura's non-ex was Sasuke).

So. Her friend's non-ex left school indefinitely, with nothing to explain his absence. No note, no nothing. As such, her friend said nothing about it as well, at least publicly. But you could tell that her eyes just lost a bit of their gleam, and her smile lost a bit of their shine and you could tell that she was just so heartbroken that she didn't want to talk about it at all.

That was why, when Tenten found out that another person claimed an (extremely obvious, honestly) interest towards her friend, a person that Tenten could say was down to earth and the exact opposite of the said non-ex, why. This was an opportunity for them both indeed!

"That's the reason why you want to set them up?" Neji asked, amused.

Tenten frowned at him, "Don't judge! I'm just so tired of being surrounded by the gloom cloud." She said as she crossed her arms, defiant. "Too much negative energy disrupts my Feng Shui."

"So too much negative energy? That's the reason why you want to set them up?" He was openly laughing at her with his eyes and she would've understood it better if he were saying that because she wants to use his friend Lee to distract Sakura from her gloom, but evidently, that was not the case.

With a roll of her eyes and her arms still crossed, "I just don't want Sakura to be sad anymore okay? And Lee is a really great guy and I just want her to see that there are other guys out there."

With her cheeks puffed out, one could tell that Tenten was annoyed but Neji could see that she was trying to hide the fact that her face was flushing from the show of compassion towards her friend.

Chuckling and leaning forward to tease her more. "Not used to being emotional, are we? Must be hard to maintain the tough-girl act," he said, a hand reaching up to ruffle and mess her hair.

Really annoyed, and equal parts embarrassed, Tenten swatted his hand away with a huff, "Jerk!"

And of course Neji's automatic response was to smirk at her.

"I just don't like being touchy-feely and all that jizz, okay?" Tenten drummed her fingers against the table, glaring at him.

"And you're one to talk, you ice block!"

Okay, so _now_ Neji was definitely amused. "Clever one aren't you?"

She released a short breath through her nostrils. He smirked.

"So will you? Help me?"

"I don't see why not."

* * *

So. Uhm. Lee got _**rejected**_. It was a clean rejection though! Tenten was always quick to defend. Actually, she doesn't know where it went _wrong_ because everything was actually going _right. Seriously._

"So you say," butt-head Neji was always quick to rebut.

In Tenten's defense, everything _had_ been going according to plan. Actually, the two of them didn't do anything much at all, to the disappointment of cliché matchmakers in the world.

"Hey, Neji and Lee asked if we want to go to the movies together, you want to come Sakura?"

Not really interested but having nothing better to do with her time anymore, "Sure," Sakura answered.

"Wait. _Only_ Sakura?" Ino, her blonde haired, blue-eyed, other friend asked, almost looking offended.

Tenten looked at her for less than a second and said, "You can come too, if you want."

In the end, all six of them (they happened to bump into _Neji's_ blonde haired, blue-eyed, equally loud, other friend on the way) went to the movies and hung out together.

They never expected their other friends to actually _enjoy_ hanging out together. All Neji and Tenten had to do was sit back and relax as their other friends make the plans to hang out and give Lee the opportunity to sweep Sakura off her feet. In which, as stated before, he failed to do.

"I really thought that Sakura would give him the chance," Tenten grumbled under her breath as they walked towards the intersection where they would part ways.

"Lee is, well, you know, _Lee_."

His statement was rewarded by a slap to his shoulder, to which he rubbed the blooming sting in response with a frown.

"Don't be mean," she said, a frown on her face.

"I didn't say anything," was his reply but Tenten just glared at him.

"What?"

"What? Lee is a really sweet guy, any girl would be lucky to have him!"

Quick to respond, "Would _you_ date him?" Neji asked.

"As a matter of fact, I would!" came her automatic reply, with her signature annoyed huff and crossed arms.

To this, Neji shouldn't have been as surprised as he was yet here he was, surprised and all.

"_Why?"_ Was his almost automatic response.

"Why not?" she was indignant and she doesn't know why they were having this argument, Lee was his friend for goodness' sake!

"It's, it's _Lee_."

With a roll of her eyes in a scowl, "Whatever Neji. I'm going home."

Not waiting for a reply or a goodbye, she turned on her heel and walked towards the direction of her house.

"Are you sure you're not pushing Sakura to like Lee because _you_ like Lee, are you Tenten?"

A nerve was throbbing on her forehead as she slowly craned her neck back to look at him and his ever-present, _irritating_ smirk.

They stared at each other, Tenten looking back at him with a glare and Neji, openly teasing her with a smirk. Almost as if a ticking clock was heard only to them both, one second they were staring each other down, the next, Tenten was giving a high-pitched growl and running after Neji's rapidly retreating figure, his laugh echoing in the relatively empty evening street.

(When Tenten was at a close enough distance, she latched on him in a piggyback, her left arm effectively choking his laughs out of him and her right arm trying its best to give his head a good noogie.

"I'm not blushing! I just don't like talking and being all touchy-feely! STOP LAUGHING!")

* * *

"So how is that crush you're nursing on Lee?"

Rolling her eyes, Tenten poked him hard on his side, to no effect. Neji just smirked.

"Gosh Neji, that's so last semester, would you please stop it?"

It was the first day of the new school year and they were finally at their last year in high school, but Neji seemed intent on not living down the tiny crush she had on Lee ("OKAY FINE. I have a tiny crush on him, so what?") the previous term.

"Are you saying it's gone?"

She felt no obligation to answer him nor provide him any sort of explanation. But yes, her tiny crush on Lee had faded over the summer.

"Whatever, Neji. We'll be late."

"Hm," he replied, and walked past her to their classroom. Tenten followed him with her eyes, a million thoughts running through her head, she silenced it within a second.

* * *

"How can it be that we are never on the same homeroom together?" Ino asked as she examined their schedules over lunch.

Tenten simply shrugged her shoulders and took a healthy bite off her lunch.

"Maybe fate doesn't want us to be together in homeroom. Shocker."

With a roll of her eyes, Ino returned Tenten's schedule to its place atop her books.

"You're starting to sound like Hyuga," Ino remarked.

"Hinata?"

Rolling her eyes once more, Tenten thinks she might strain her eye muscles, Ino replied with her usual sarcasm, "Ha-ha. You're so clever Ten, your wit is as sharp as ever."

"I try not to disappoint."

"Gee. I wonder how _that_ works out for you."

Tenten simply made faces at Ino with a lack of suitable retort, and Ino replied in kind as well.

"But seriously, why is he so nice to you?" Ino asked, more curious than confused.

"What do you mean?" Tenten asked before quickly adding, "Don't roll your eyes again, goodness. Seeing you do that strains my eyes."

"Well stop saying stupid things and I won't. But that's a stupid question right there and I'm very tempted to roll my eyes again," Ino rebutted without missing a beat. She continued, "He's a real asshole to people, you know."

"Explain," was her simple command before taking another bite.

Ino sipped from her tumbler before answering, "Well he's not as bad as he was before," Ino started.

"He was such a condescending ass back in middle school. He actually takes a liking to crushing people's dreams. Poor Lee and Naruto had taken the brunt of it."

"Uhm. He kind of still _does_," Tenten quipped but Ino ignored her.

"He's still somewhat of an ass alright, but with you he seems very relaxed."

"I don't get what you mean since he's also a condescending jerk-wad to me."

Refraining from rolling her eyes again, Ino gave a small laugh instead. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say Tenten."

Confused, Tenten opened her mouth to speak but a tray slammed itself on their table and Sakura took her seat on the adjacent side of the table.

"What did I miss?"

* * *

Looking at him now, sitting quietly on his seat, idly reading a text book more from sheer boredom than from whatever yearning to learn he may have, he didn't seem much of an a-hole Ino described him to be.

"Enjoying the view?"

He locked eyes with her, a smirk was prominent on his face, a hand casually lifting a page and turning it over.

And her response was immediate, automatic. "You wish, jerk-face."

The corner of his eyes crinkled slightly in mirth, and he stifled a small laugh, it was deep. Tenten could almost feel the vibrations of the rare sound. It was husky, and very masculine, and if Tenten could only close her eyes, she would envision smooth dark chocolate, tempting her.

"We really need to work on your insults, Tenten." And just like that, the halo effect was gone and she was left with his douche self.

With a roll of her eyes, "No thanks," she replied, "I'd rather not be tainted by your coarse mouth."

"Are you sure about that?" he was quick to retort, a sly smirk and _devious_ eyes on his face. Heat travelled up her neck to the tips of her ears and he chuckled again.

With a huff, Tenten dismissed him by turning forwards again towards her own table, hunching over her textbook, trying with all her might to not let the heat go up to her face as her heart thudded a steady presto in her ribcage.

'_Stop. Stop. Stop!'_

* * *

"You're avoiding me, aren't you?"

He cornered her outside the classroom. It was their group's turn to clean the homeroom and as she moved to put away the cleaning equipment, he had her cornered outside the classroom, on her way to the janitor's closet. She tried to pretend to be as confused as possible.

"What are you talking about?"

She hadn't been doing it on purpose, really. It was just…every time she was near him, her heart would race and she couldn't think straight. She would blush easily and her breath would often get caught on her throat and she would feel dizzy. She absolutely_ hated it._

"That!" He gestured to her person, frustration evident in his voice. She bit her lip in nervousness as he continued.

"You don't talk to me during class, you sound so dry when I message you," he was counting off everything with his fingers.

"You never go out with us anymore when it's always _you_ who dislikes to be left out, and," he released a short breath through his nose and Tenten could feel that he was very ill-tempered with her. It was not like him at all to rant on and on, much less to lose his cool.

"And that!" she saw him gesture to her person once again from the corner of her eye.

"You're not looking at me right now, when usually you'd be on my back about talking to you like this," he said in a murmur, his shoulders drooping, the strap of his bag falling off his shoulder.

"Are you angry at me?"

With that, Tenten's eyes snapped up to meet his in incredulity, genuinely confused. How did he come to that conclusion?

"_No_! Why would you think that?" She exclaimed, but was surprised to see him give her a small smile upon looking at his face.

"Well," he started, "for one thing, this is the first time you've looked me in the face in a while. I almost started to miss it."

Her natural reaction was, of course, to avert her eyes. The heat was getting to her face again and she was trying hard to stop it from climbing. She could _feel_ him frown, and she just wanted to say _sorry, sorry, sorry_.

She didn't mean to ignore him, she didn't mean to – to _neglect_ him – if the term was applicable. Her feelings were just getting haywired and she didn't want, didn't_ know_ how to deal with it.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Tenten sighed, suddenly incredibly tired, as if the world rested on her shoulders. She covered her face with both palms in an attempt to clear her clouded mind, before dropping them and facing him once more.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong Neji, I swear." She said as she tried to give him a smile but only succeeded in giving a cringe.

"I-I just. I just," looking at him, at his eyes, he was expecting a reply. She was staring at the earnest in its depths and her breath was starting to quicken, her heart a maddening drum beat in her chest. She was going to hyperventilate. _She can't do it._

"I-I I just have issues," she looked down.

She heard him release a deep breath and she bit her lip again as she waited for him to say something.

"Tenten," he started, he sounded unsure. Slowly, almost shyly, her eyes looked up to him, although her head remained low.

"Did you…Have you heard of – um," Neji tried to fish for words and it got her curious.

"Heard about what?"

The corner they were in was almost deserted. Their voices remain low, and her senses were on hyperawareness, her ears can pick up his every breath, her skin can feel every shift in the air when he moved, her eyes can see everything that he does.

"That I," he said, almost in a whisper.

He was looking at her as well, in the quietness of their corner, staring deep into her eyes as they tried to look, to search for something, and her eyes remained wide and, open doors to her very being.

"I really," her heart thundered in her chest as he came closer.

_Don't. Please, _she pleaded, her shoulders tensed. She wanted to _bolt, _she closed her eyes shut

A few moments passed and then…nothing.

Tenten opened her eyes and he was a few feet away from her, back straightened and the haze that settled over them gone.

"It's nothing," he said. He placed a tentative hand on her shoulder, and _squeezed_. "I'm just…" he released a small cough to hide his embarrassment, "glad, that you aren't mad at me."

With that, a small chuckle came out of her lips and just like that, all the tension was released and she could almost hear him sigh in relief.

With the tense air gone, she could find it in herself to look at him again, no thunders in her chest.

"See you tomorrow?" He asked with a smile, expectant.

She answered with a smile of her own, "Sure." But it felt so wrong.

Somehow, she felt that something was missing when she went past the school gates and into the surprisingly busy street. She never knew that she could feel so light and yet so heavy at the same time.

* * *

A tray slammed onto the table and Tenten jumped from her seat, startled.

"Neji is dating some girl now from class B?" Ino interrogated as she slumped on her usual seat.

With a groan and a roll of her eyes, Tenten viciously shoved a mouthful of her lunch just so she could have an excuse not to answer her.

Ino narrowed her blue eyes and snarled.

"You already know, don't you?"

"_Yeshh." _Tenten said rather ungracefully with her mouth full, making her blonde friend scrunch her face in disgust.

"I know before they even started with the PDA's in the back yards," she said as a matter of fact upon swallowing her food.

"And you knew because…?"

Another roll of her eyes, Tenten answered, "He asked me how Kurotsuchi was as a girl and I told him she was alright, was actually a brilliant student _and _one of the nicest girls I've ever met."

_Smack!_

Ino's hand met the back of Tenten's head and she winced in pain, rubbing the tender flesh and glaring at her blue-eyed friend.

"Stupid!"

"What?! I was being honest and Kurotsuchi _is_ a nice person!"

_Smack!_

"Hey!"

"Stupid!"

"What are you talking about? _Don't hit me again!_" Tenten exclaimed when Ino lifted a hand to seemingly smack her at the back of her head again.

"Why would you tell him that?" Ino reprimanded. "Can't you see that he was trying to gauge your reaction?"

Rubbing her temples, "No, Ino. Neji's not like that. He doesn't beat around the bush. What you see is often what you get from him," Tenten explained before focusing on her lunch again.

Ino groaned and slammed her head on the table, making their lunches rattle upon impact, but both paid no heed.

Not removing her head from the table, Ino simply twisted her neck so she could still see Tenten, who was paying no attention to her.

"Are you seriously okay with them being together?"

With that, Tenten simply shrugged her shoulders and picked on her food with her bamboo chopsticks.

Ino's head shot up.

"Are you okay?" Ino asked, concern coating her voice.

The girl in question shrugged her shoulders again, "I could be bothered less, I guess. But I don't think I feel anything at all actually."

Still reluctant, Ino pursued the topic. "Are you sure?"

Tenten gave a sigh, out of exasperation rather than annoyance or anything else. "_Should_ I feel something?"

"I don't know," Ino finally admitted. "I always thought that you had a crush on him. Was I wrong?"

This was why Tenten did not like being 'touchy-feely', as one would put it. Call her shallow, but she didn't really know _how_ to feel such deep emotions. It was a great enough achievement for her to have friends at all, seeing as she was only now starting to learn how to connect with people, and she was glad that her friends respected her wish to bid herself some time to get used to them.

But Neji? She didn't know what to do with him. From the start of their so-called friendship borne out of their matchmaking attempts, she had always felt neutral towards him. They were by no means friends before that, just classmates really.

But then they started hanging out together more, spending more time with each other, and she got to know him.

It was easy to divert these tumultuous sensations towards Lee, she reasoned (and it was also Neji's suggestion that triggered it). Lee was neutral. Lee had a crush on Sakura. Lee was far away from her as emotionally possible. Lee was _safe_. He didn't have feelings for her and Tenten was free to feel however she wants to feel with the knowledge that nothing will be born out of it. And nothing did.

But Neji? Tenten just wanted to crawl under her covers and take her mind off of it once and for all.

"No," she stated, voice firm. "I never liked him at all." A wall had erupted around her and between her and the blonde. She was fed up with the conversation. With that, Ino lowered her eyes and Tenten went back to her food, her appetite gone.

* * *

Tenten, for the life of her, could not sleep.

Staring blankly at her ceiling, her eyes traced the cobwebs forming at the corners of her room.

_I should really clean that up. _

Turning to her side, Tenten glanced at the digital clock on her side table.

'_1:56 AM'_ it read, and she turned her face onto her pillow to stifle the groan.

"Stupid Ino," Tenten muttered under her breath, moving a forearm to cover her eyes. The conversation with the blonde _two effin months ago_ replayed itself inside her head.

She didn't like him. He's a big, fat, condescending jerk. Why should she like him? He constantly berates her, as if she needed his opinion in everything she did. He always, _always _bullies her; making fun of her hair, making fun of her poor attempts at insults, her _issues_.

A high-pitched growl left her lips in frustration, her hands coiled in a tight fist.

Light suddenly flashed on her side table.

Removing her arm from her face, she crawled her way towards the side table where her phone lay beside the digital clock. With a furrow on her brow, she found that she forgot to turn her data off, _again_.

Mildly irritated, she did not relinquish her face-down position and instead sloppily made a grab for her phone, uncaring of how it strained her arm as she refused to move any closer. Cheek squished against the bed, Tenten squinted at the message on the notification bar.

'_Hey, you still awake?'_

Not changing her position, she unlocked her phone and typed a reply single-handedly.

'Yes, why are you?'

She stared blankly at the phone, uncaring of whether or not she gets an honest reply.

'_Cant sleep either.' _

With a sigh, Tenten rolled on her back, phone resting on her chest, not really wanting to chat but also not wanting to be left to her thoughts.

Hesitantly, her thumbs tapped itself on the keyboard, hitting the backspace more frequently than normal. When the sentence was finally formed, Tenten hovered over the _send _icon, not sure if she should really broach the topic.

Biting her lip, Tenten quickly pressed _send. _

It was a while before the three dots appeared, and a few minutes more when a reply was actually sent.

'_Yeah. I'm thinking of him.'_

_Still? _

Without really thinking, fingers glided over the keyboard and she was pressing _send_ before she was even aware of it.

Her reply was quicker this time.

'_Yes. I know it's stupid of me. You don't need to lecture me about it anymore.'_

'Wasn't going to.'

Tenten bit her lip again. It seems the topic was still a bit touchy. But she was curious and so, so confused about her own thoughts that she can't help but pursue it.

'Why do you though?'

'_I don't know.'_

Her shoulders drooping, Tenten deflated at that. She was hoping to get at least _something_ out of this conversation, but it seems that it was just not her day for answers.

A message popped out again.

'_I just can't help myself.'_

Tenten raised her eyebrows in surprise.

'_I just wanna talk to him, you know?' _

'_Nothing big or extravagant or romantic.'_

'_I just wanna ask him how he's doing.'_

'_Like, is he okay? Has he settled well?'_

The three dots signifying the other person typing kept appearing and disappearing before a new message finally came.

'_Does he remember me and Naruto sometimes?'_

There was a pause and Tenten waited for her to say more.

'_I just like to think that, despite not returning my feelings, that he still considered us as friends, you know.'_

Tenten didn't know what to say. And tells Sakura exactly that.

She becomes conscious of every breath she takes, not really sure if she's eager or not for what her friend has to say. She wasn't good with feelings, and bonds, and forming connections.

But. . .

'_It's okay.'_

'_Just letting it out made me feel better :)' _

'_Better than denying its existence.' _

Tenten gave a short intake of breath as the words imprinted itself on her mind.

_Denying. Denying. Denying. Denying._ Was she really in denial of her feelings? Her heartbeat was thunderous in her ears, and her breathing was becoming short, labored pants.

_In. . .and out. In. . .and out. Come on. In. . .and out. In. . .and out._

She was snapped out of her thoughts when a message popped out again.

'_Thanks Ten.'_

Slowing down her racing heart, Tenten typed a reply while keeping her breathing in control.

'I barely said anything. What are you thanking me for?'

Sakura's response made her pause.

'_For listening :) I think I can go to sleep now.'_

'_Good night!' _

Finally calming down, Tenten released a breath she didn't know she was holding and finally typed her good nights.

Phone in her chest, she was back to staring blankly at her ceiling.

_Denial, huh? _

Her eyelids became heavy, the weight of her phone was comforting in her chest as her breathing slowed. Was she denying her feelings after all this time?

As she closed her eyes, the image of his smile filled her mind before she was lulled to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

_Denial. Denial. Denial. Denial. _

The word has been on her mind in repeat every time she allowed herself to drift into an absent-minded state. Which was not often, contrary to popular belief. Which is to say, she's still avoiding the topic, repressing her mind and heart, for all its worth.

It also helped that the most she's seen of Neji were nods of acknowledgement in the hallways, and quick conversations and small talks during class.

But on days like this, this, meaning a mundane, uneventful school assembly, she couldn't help but let her mind wander. It was better than listening to a talk about 'real life' and 'what's out there' for the third time that day.

Also, it didn't help that the object of her thoughts is seated a mere two rows ahead of her, his girlfriend not in his immediate vicinity, to her surprise. They've been rather attached to the hip the past few weeks that it was shocking that they were not seated together now.

"You all will be graduating next month! Well, hopefully, all of you are."

Ah. The accursed G-word. It didn't fail to make her shudder. Not even Neji can cast out the looming dread of the upcoming G-word.

Well, not so much the act itself (because honestly, she wants to get out of this school as much as the next person), but what it entails and how she was still so unsure of which direction to take. And Neji?

Tenten's mind sobered as she eyed the back of his head with a sort of longing.

If Tenten still knew anything about Neji, she knew that he has his life planned out already.

Also, if anything, she was jealous of that. For Neji, there were no uncertainties. Even if his plans were to suddenly change, he could cope and adapt as well as he was always able to do. He could put his mind into anything he wants even.

Tenten bit her lip as a familiar green monster showed its head again.

Maybe she wasn't denying anything after all. Maybe she didn't really like Neji. Inspired by him, maybe? Admired him? Sure, but like? Tenten shook her head.

Maybe she was just amazed by his confidence and his intelligence and the fact that he was not so bad to look at. Maybe…

"Excuse me," someone said, passing in front of her to get to the empty seat a few chairs on her other side.

Tenten looked up to see that it was Kurotsuchi, her head ducked down, and she was sniffling?

A frown marred Tenten's face as the girl went to her group of friends.

Despite the fact they talked in murmurs, Tenten was invested enough in their conversation that she was able to hear the major parts of it.

By the profuse sniffles, the consoling pats on the back and the stiffening of Neji's shoulders, it wasn't that hard to figure out.

Neji and Kurotsuchi broke up.

And Tenten cursed herself as a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders at the news.

So much for maybes.

* * *

_This is bad,_ Tenten was trying to convince herself. _This is a bad, bad idea._

She was pacing near the restrooms just outside the auditorium, in which Principal Sarutobi was still talking.

Neji had gone out of the auditorium, where he was going, no one knew, but it was not a stretch to think that it was due to the rumors already circulating of his most recent breakup.

So when Neji got up from his seat, Tenten went after him not three minutes later to where she concludes, was the men's bathroom, because where else would he be going?

She wasn't even trying to hide her presence, she _knows_ that he knows, that _she's_ there.

And she almost contemplated going inside if the door hadn't already swung open to reveal his tall frame.

And despite her earlier assumptions, he still looked surprise to see _her._

"Tenten," said Neji, still standing in the door frame and his one hand on the handle. "What're you doing here?"

"Nothing, it's just," his brows were raised in question, eyes piercing through her.

"I just," she swallowed audibly, trying to keep her breath steady. "I-I'm…"

Oh no. Her heart was pounding a hundred beats a minute, her throat was getting dry, and her breaths were coming in shorter and shallow bursts.

She was _hyperventilating_.

Why was she here?

Why _was_ she here?

His mouth was opening and closing, he was _saying_ something but she couldn't hear anything, she felt like she was underwater and nothing was passing through from the surface. Black spots were appearing in her vision but she hastily tried to blink them away, he was saying something. He was saying something. She began to feel light headed. Why was _she _here?

Tenten clenched her fists and drew them across her chest, screwing her eyes shut as she willed herself to go away.

"…enten!"

A voice broke through her mind.

"…an you hear me?"

Over and over again, she heard her name.

Hands clenched themselves around her shoulders, going down her arms in a soothing motion, one in which she patterned her breathing to. He was still calling her name.

"Tenten."

Her breathing became steadier, and she could hear him clearly now but her eyes remained closed.

His hands on her arms was relaxing, her heart was finally calming down, and she felt it safe to finally open her eyes.

And his concerned face was the first thing she saw.

"Neji," Tenten breathed out, her hands reaching out to grasp his forearms to keep herself grounded, a sigh of relief overcame her when he squeezed her shoulders in return. He gave her a relieved smile of his own, exhaling a breath that he seemed to be holding for a while now.

"You scared me a bit there," said Neji with his small smile still intact. With a hand on her back, he guided her to one of the benches that lined the walls and sat beside her.

"Sorry," she muttered, cursing herself for the untimely, not triggered, panic attack. "It's just that…" her mind scrambled for words to explain what just happened, "My thoughts just went ahead of me, I guess." She said in a joking manner, trying to lighten the mood.

Neji furrowed his brows in confusion, then in understanding. Then he shook his head and gave her some space to breathe but remained close enough should she need assistance.

"If you say so," he said. Afterwards, he just remained quiet, which left Tenten to pluck out for words to say.

What do you say to a person you've been avoiding for two months without an explanation? How do you even talk to the object of your muddled, unclear feelings? A person, mind you, who just broke up with his girlfriend?

_Hey, how are you doing?_ _I just heard the news, you guys broke it off huh? _Tenten shook her head. _Stupid. _

"So where are you planning on going after this?"

Oh thank goodness, this guy can be a life saver at times, Tenten mentally praised.

"Probably just head home. I don't really go out much, since, you know," Tenten flushed at this, and Neji looked expectant, "Uh, since, uh. Since Lee got rejected you know. No one else ever really made plans to hang after that."

Neji looked confused at first, but then he suddenly laughed. The rich baritone of his voice echoed on the otherwise empty corridor, although not able to drown out the microphone enhanced voice of Principal Sarutobi inside the auditorium.

Oh what a sound it was, Tenten thought. His hand was slightly covering his upturned mouth, and his eyes were unfocused and squinted. Tenten knew she was staring, but she couldn't help it. She missed this, she missed _him_.

He was opening his mouth, and he was saying something but…seeing his lips move, she was entranced. The bow of his lips, the slight pink color to it, the glimpse of teeth and tongue.

"Tenten?"

She looked up at the sound of her name and was met with his concerned gaze.

"Are you alright?"

That snapped her out of her reverie as she hastily assured him, "Oh! Yes. I'm fine."

Neji looked doubtful but appeared to let it go.

He looked around, to see if there was anyone who'd catch them outside of the auditorium (_where they were supposed to be, _Tenten thought), and when there was none, Neji stood up and stuck out a hand.

Flabbergasted, Tenten merely stared at the hand and back at him and asked incredulously, "What?"

Neji just rolled his eyes, which she thought he _never_ did, and replied, "Let's get out of here."

Okay, so Tenten was not one for breaking rules. In fact, in all her years in school, she never once cut class. Although technically, they were only having an assembly and there was no attendance, so _technically_, she wasn't cutting class. Still, she never thought Neji was one for breaking rules either. So she can forgive herself if felt apprehensive in accepting his offer.

Furtively glancing for anyone who might be looking, "Where are we going?" Tenten asked.

Neji just emphasized on the hand he was offering by lifting it up near her face and said, "Get off your ass and I'll show you."

It almost felt like a test of trust, at least for Tenten.

Her heartbeat racing, teeth biting her inner cheek, Tenten took his hand and stood up.

His hand was surprisingly warm and big around her own, and when she looked up from their joint hands to his face, he smiled at her. Then, he grasped at hers firmly, gave one tug, and he ran, pulling her with him.

Careful not to cross hallways where lower levels were still having classes lest they be seen, they went up flights of stairs.

Up and up they went, until Neji stopped. Twisting aside, Tenten noticed that what looked to be a dead end, was actually a door. The both of them were panting (considering they ran four flights of stairs, it was no surprise they were), and Neji was still holding on to her hand.

"What now?" Tenten asked, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

From his position at the higher steps, Neji only glanced down at her over his shoulder and gave a wry smile. "Come on."

He opened the door to what was unmistakably the school's concrete, sparse rooftop. Tenten allowed herself to feel the tiniest bit of disappointment.

(She thought it was gonna be, like, a grand rooftop garden or something, Tenten digressed.)

The walls seemed to reach for about four feet and a half in height, atop which a chain-linked fence was installed. A bit slumped, she followed him towards the wall, at the side that faced the school gates.

Then, he just stood there, leaning over the railing, vaguely staring at the distance like some sort of protagonist with an internal struggle.

And maybe he did, she thought, giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Besides, the chain-linked fence were creating shadows on his sun-kissed face, making her conscious of the instilled sense of awe she had for him.

Amidst the contrasts, the shadows and the way the wind blew tendrils of his hair, there was no denying that Neji…he was amazing.

A chuckle broke the tranquility in his face and Tenten was confused.

He moved a hand to cover his mouth, trying to suppress his chortles but then he started laughing like a loony that she effectively wanted to back off now.

But it was the first time in weeks that she get to see him be this open with his emotions, Tenten admitted. His eyes were bright, his mouth stretched in a smile he tried to cover.

It was refreshing, hearing and seeing the laughter in him. She couldn't help but flash him a wide grin as well.

Sooner than she would have liked, his full blown laughter receded to chortles, and then to chuckles, until he only had this content and pleasant smile on his face.

She was somewhat surprised when he fully turned to face her, making her the only audience of his glowing face and that breathtaking smile.

"I haven't felt this free in a while," he noted with pleasant satisfaction.

Tenten wanted to think it was her, she really did, but her logic tells her it's because of his break up with Kurotsuchi.

But she didn't want to talk about that.

So she just nodded her head.

"I'm glad," she said, as sincere as possible. Because in the end, what she only wanted for him was to be happy.

If possible, Neji only smiled wider at her, and turned to face the sunset. Tenten did the same, and they basked on the warmth of the sun together.

* * *

They walked home together after that. For the past several weeks she walked home alone, Tenten found that the streets were always bustling. Walking with Neji now, she figured that the cacophony of activities and pedestrians had been there from the start.

She realized that maybe, _maybe_, she was just…a little too keen on him even before that she managed to block out everything else.

So one could imagine how self-conscious she was feeling right then.

And as she lay on her bed that night, she couldn't help but feel giddy, and just the tiniest bit glad. Because she missed walking with him, she missed talking with him, she missed _him_. So much, that when they got to their intersection, there was no denying that she felt a bit disappointed when they had to part ways.

Tenten sighed, grabbing the pillow underneath her head and proceeded to suffocate herself.

_Oh Neji._

A groan escaped her lips, muffled by the pillow.

_Oh Neji indeed._

* * *

Something…_changed_.

She couldn't really put her finger on it but Tenten could definitely felt a shift in the air when she entered her homeroom.

Already having doubts about the day ahead, Tenten tried her best to remain vigilant.

Apparently it was not enough as the screech of chair on tile was enough to successfully spook her, but as Neji laid his bag down and sat beside her, these thoughts went out of the window in seconds.

"What're you doing?" She asked, more curious than disturbed.

Neji made a show of not responding immediately, taking his time in reaching for a textbook in his bag and placing it atop the table, opening to a specific page before nonchalantly replying, "Reading."

She raised an eyebrow almost challengingly, and was about to retort when she saw that he was smiling.

_Was he teasing her?_

She was about ready to die.

Before she could agonize about her superfluous feelings though, that's when she heard it.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a small group of her classmates, whispering amongst each other and pointing at their direction, at Neji.

A quick glance around the room told her that they weren't the only ones. She had to give them the benefit of the doubt, they tried to be discreet about it. But if the entire room was whispering, one was bound to notice it sooner or later.

And when her eyes landed on Neji, his eyes were locked on hers, telling, willing her not to mention it. So instead of the putrid words she wanted to spit at her classmates, she bit her tongue and offered him a smile, and even mustered up the courage to give his hand a squeeze under the table in a comforting gesture.

She felt him squeeze back in return, before her mortification got the better of her, she shrugged his hand away and laid it back on her lap, the tips of her ears a burning red.

She saw him hide a smile beneath his other hand, as the hand she held just a moment ago raised itself on the table and flipped a page.

She could still see him smile behind his hand.

She felt warm inside.

* * *

"Okay, you were right." She told Ino breathlessly, seeing as she ran from her classroom all the way to Ino's just so she could catch the blonde before entering the crowded cafeteria.

Things between them had been patchy at most, and awkward at the least, since their minor spat about her denial of her feelings for Neji. So it wasn't really surprising that Ino didn't know what she was talking about at all.

"Am I now? About what?"

On second thought, with the Cheshire grin Ino sported, Tenten wouldn't put it past her to gloat about being right and rubbing it in her face.

So biting her inner lip and ignoring the redness of her cheeks, Tenten was finally able to blurt it aloud, "I think I like Neji."

It came out as a mumble more than anything, too afraid that someone might hear, seeing as said guy just came out of a breakup not two days ago.

But Tenten was surprised when two arms wrapped themselves around her and her face buried in the blonde's shoulder, squeezing her tight as she made small jumps.

"Oh!" Ino hugged her tighter. "I'm so proud that you were finally able to admit that!" Ino exclaimed.

People around were staring and whispering, and honestly it made her so uncomfortable that she only gave a brief squeeze in return before pushing her off.

Ino's face was beaming.

Tenten got the feeling that it was more from her choosing to open up to the blonde rather than finally admitting her feelings for the Hyuga.

Regardless, it was a weight off her shoulders and it felt so good finally telling someone about her feelings in a definite way.

And she was just so glad that the awkwardness between the two of them had finally cleared up.

So she gave back an equally excited smile, and for the first time in a long while, it was a hundred percent genuine.

Of course, they couldn't keep Sakura out of the loop. Not when she had been an integral part in Tenten finally realizing her feelings.

And it was all they talked about the whole lunch break.

How did it start?

Why him? I don't know what you see in him. (Ino)

When did you realize you had feelings for him? (Sakura)

(Funny how when she answered the last question, it lead to an unamused Ino giving Sakura the judgmental best friend eye and the latter waving her off with a flick of her hair, ending with Ino rolling her eyes.)

After all that talk however, ended with one simple question.

_So when are you going to confess?_

Tenten almost choked on her drink in surprise.

"What?" she asked.

"Don't tell me you didn't plan on actually telling him how you feel?" Ino narrowed her eyes.

"Well." Tenten's mind flew back to last year when Sakura confessed her feelings to the Non-Ex and ultimately got rejected.

Sakura must have sensed her train of thought since she ungracefully whacked Tenten on shoulder.

"Ow!" Tenten exclaimed, but it was unheeded as Sakura shook her head at her, rebuking.

"Don't even go there, Tenten," Sakura said. She didn't even give Tenten the chance to retort as the pinkette raised a finger and beat her to it.

"You and Neji are not the same, or even remotely similar, to Sasuke and me, alright?" implored Sakura. "So don't even go there."

As it was, Tenten was left speechless. In truth, she really hadn't thought of confessing. Maybe just spending more time with him until graduation comes sure, but not really expecting it to go anywhere further than that.

But confessing didn't really mean that she's expecting anything between them to change, right? She will just simply tell him how she feels. He at least had the right to know how she thought of him. But…how?

Sensing her confusion, Ino clarified, "We don't mean right away."

Sakura nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Just make sure he knows before we go to different schools, you know?"

Tenten nodded her head, slowly, digesting all this sudden information as Ino suggested some tips diligently.

"You can ask him out for coffee," she started. "Maybe go see a movie?"

Sakura shook her head, "No. It might make her too uncomfortable with just the two of them in a date-like setting."

"We can hang out though, all of us!" Sakura said eagerly. "Like we used to do last year. With Naruto and Lee!"

"No!" Tenten accidentally exclaimed too loud. It brought too much memories of her failed matchmaking attempts with Neji, which was embarrassing. Not to mention Sakura was trying to do the same technique Tenten had plotted for her and Lee. It was cringe worthy at best. She just wanted to forget about it.

"O..kay," Sakura replied slowly. A small pause followed as the three of them brainstormed for new ideas.

"I could just, pull him to an empty classroom?" Tenten suggested meekly, already seeing the impossibility of her actually going through with it.

Ino and Sakura's raised eyebrows and sardonic looks mirrored her thoughts and she shook her head. "Right. Too cliché."

"Or," Ino started, trailing as she adopted a thoughtful look.

"Or," Sakura continued, "You could write him a letter?" She asked, doubtful.

But the idea resonated inside her head, and she could see the soundness of it the more she thought about it.

Ino seemed to think so as well as gave a thumbs up.

"Yeah. Write him a graduation letter!" Ino exclaimed.

Tenten was agreeable to it. It's the most doable approach and she could do it without being a wrack of nerves.

_A letter huh?_

* * *

Tenten had been able to put off writing that letter for a good two and a half weeks. There was only a little over a week left until graduation.

Although that didn't mean she wasn't diligent with her time. Majority of the days were spent with Neji, _studying_, she liked to stress out, _for the finals._ Ino and Sakura would like to say otherwise, but it was the truth.

After class, they were either at the library, just the two of them, cramming in some extra review hours for the difficult subjects (like advanced physics and calculus, Tenten inwardly groaned). By this time, the rumors about Kurotsuchi and Neji's breakup were just about extinguished and everybody was able to move on with their own lives.

Other times, they were at a nearby café with Ino, Sakura, Naruto and Lee. At this, Tenten suddenly realized how much she enjoyed their company and how much she dearly missed hanging out with Naruto and Lee. Even though the time spent at this group study sessions were mostly for Naruto, Ino and Lee's sake.

But if Tenten was asked, she'd say her favorites were the ones done either at his house or hers. Then, she was able to know him better, more intimately. She's gotten to know his cousin Hinata better, and he was able to meet her mom. And she was just so giddy spending time with him alone that she sometimes asks herself if she were still the same person.

(She still was, Tenten liked to think. No one pointed anything out of the ordinary, which was great since it means that her embarrassment was only inside her head.)

Tenten crumpled the piece of paper and threw it towards the growing pile on the recycling bin. Writing a letter was lot easier said than done.

For one thing, she couldn't help but feel corny writing a _love_ letter, because that's what it was. The words were not writing itself and it was all so cheesy that she wanted nothing more to do about it.

Resting her forehead on her palms, Tenten stifled a groan of defeat. Why was it that it was always one step forward, two steps back with her?

Grabbing a fresh sheet of paper and her pen, she tried to start again.

_Hey Neji,_

She immediately scratched that off. It sounded too friendly.

She tapped the tip of the pen to her lip. How does one confess via a love letter anyway?

_Dear Neji,_

_Just recently, I've finally come to terms with my feelings. For you. That is, I have feeling for – _

Tenten dropped the pen and buried her face in both hands. Why was this so damn hard? On that same note, why did she have to confess anyway? It's not like he felt the same way, she'll only burden him with her feelings.

Well, that last thought completely dampened her mood. She slouched on her chair and blew her bangs off her face, defeated. The clock on her side table read a few minutes past midnight. Meaning, she's been trying to write this goshdamn love letter for two hours.

She sighed and grabbed for the pen again, twirling it on her fingers as she blanked out.

A few minutes playing with the pen had calmed her somewhat, clearing her mind and relaxing her.

She sat up straight, finding herself on the zone, and tried again.

_Dear Neji,_

She paused, biting her lip.

_I like you a lot._

As the words materialized itself in ink, Tenten stopped to stare.

She took a breath, gaining momentum. Four seconds in, seven seconds out.

And then pen glided on paper.

* * *

Monday came sooner than expected, Tenten thought, melancholic. Final exams started on Wednesday, and ended on Friday. By the next Monday morning, they'd see the graduation list, and on Friday that same week was graduation. The calendar was tattooed on her mind in permanent ink.

She decided to do it now. Rather, later after class.

She was overly conscious of her bag, of which the letter was tucked into her physics textbook inside. Afraid that someone somehow knows of what she was about to do and expose her.

But then she shook her head, it was stupid really. The only people who knew were Sakura and Ino, and _they_ didn't know she had already written the letter and had planned on giving it _now_. Absolutely _NO ONE _knew. Well, except her mom, but she didn't count.

She planned to give it later after class. They opted to study separately today, which was great because Tenten couldn't bear him reading this in her presence. She'd die of mortification. Just the thought of it made her face heat up that she accidentally dropped her heavy bag with a loud thud on the homeroom floor.

Feeling everyone's eyes on her, Tenten slumped to her seat without further fuss.

When the telltale scrape of chair on tile met her ears, Tenten chose to bury herself deeper into her chair, almost sliding underneath the table.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Neji, sardonic and not at all perturbed, if only slightly amused.

"Just leave me in peace," mumbled Tenten.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Neji sat down on his seat and opened his book, paying her no heed. She was grateful for it.

She just couldn't wait for this day to be over.

* * *

Tenten collapsed on her bed, face down and spread eagle.

She couldn't do it.

And she had the perfect opportunity to give it too!

Tenten clutched her head for her cowardice.

They were walking home, as per usual. They were talking about the upcoming exams, last minute cram sessions, and to her agony, college.

She was still waiting for acceptance letters, and he was already discussing with his parents the best university he could go to. Since, you know, brains and money was simply not a problem for him, Tenten digressed.

When they came to their intersection, the both of them stopped for a while, continuing their conversation. When that ended, Tenten was actually already reaching her bag for her textbook, with the letter between its pages. All with shaky hands and a thundering pulse too.

But then, he put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her movement and enticing her to look at him. He gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze, telling her, "Don't worry too much about college Ten. We'll get there in time."

Like a bumbling idiot, she had completely forgotten about the letter in her giddiness.

By this time, Tenten buried her head further into the pillow, if only to cut off her oxygen intake completely and die of asphyxiation.

She only remembered when Neji was already a few yards away and by then she had already lost her courage and headed home.

Tenten sighed.

Well, she thought, _there's always tomorrow._

* * *

So Tuesday passed.

Then Wednesday.

Then Thursday.

And wouldn't you know it? She could already hear Naruto thanking the heavens that the final exams are over and done with.

They were at the café they frequented for the group study, Naruto, Ino and Sakura were engaged in a conversation. Neji was whooping Lee's but over a chess game. And herself was slumped over her chair, mulling about the white, a little bit wrinkled and water stained, letter envelope she kept inside her bag.

And also the fact that she was already willing to call it quits.

"Hey Tenten, what's up? You don't look like someone who had just finished their finals."

Surprisingly, Lee was the one to notice. At the corner of her eye, she saw Ino and Sakura exchange glances and she fought the grimace that wanted to break free from her face.

She opted for a tired smile instead.

"No biggie Lee," assured Tenten. "I barely slept last night, cramming and all. I guess I just feel a bit sleepy."

"Want a cup of coffee then? I can buy you," Naruto was quick to offer his help, but realizing the implications he immediately added, "I mean, you give me your money and I'll order at the counter for you. Cos you know, I'm broke."

Ino snorted her laughter and Sakura whacked him behind the head, calling him stupid.

"Nice save," teased Ino.

"Hey, at least I'm being helpful!" Naruto defended himself.

Ino was about to retort when Tenten quickly interjected before they started squabbling again.

"No, no. I'm fine!" she said. Feeling the whole group's attention on her, especially _his_, she backtracked.

"Actually," started Tenten. "I think I might head home already. Nap this off, you know?"

Lee and Naruto agreed wholeheartedly.

"Napping is always great!" exclaimed Naruto, and Lee nodded his agreement.

Ino exchanged a knowing look with Sakura, before giving Tenten that same knowing look. She narrowed her eyes at the both of them, already aware of what they were thinking.

The three of them exchanged heated glances full of conversation, which took much of Tenten's attention.

"Come on."

Their three-way silent conversation was interrupted and Tenten quickly snapped her attention towards Neji, who was already standing, his book bag on his shoulder and ready to go.

Answering her silent question, Neji clarified, "I'll walk you home."

OH. She could _feel_ Ino and Sakura and their giddiness across the table.

She really wanted to shush or glare at them but instead, she just nodded mutely at Neji and waved at the others still seated at the table.

"See you on Monday guys."

Ino only winked at her and said, "Have fun!"

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Sakura called with a cheshire grin.

It wasn't really in her personality to do so but she truly wanted to show them her middle finger as she and Neji walked out of the café.

Gods help her.

* * *

Since they came from the café and not at school, the walk to their intersection was longer.

Normally, Tenten would be happy about this since she could spend more time with Neji, but unfortunately, her bag was still heavy from the white letter envelope and thoughts weighing her mind of whether or not she should still give it.

_I mean, it's not like I wasn't trying,_ Tenten thought, as she recalled her previous, failed, attempts. She was still a bit upset about the water stain on the middle left part of the paper, when she tried to give to Neji the envelope during lunch on Wednesday, only to have Lee accidentally spill his water on it.

Tenten's mood soured, as she recalled blotting the envelope with another piece of paper. Her handwriting was actually visible now through the water stain. She thought about rewriting it again on a fresh sheet of paper but. Well, it would sound less sincere if she were to simply copy everything again (and she didn't want to visit her epic corniness by reading the letter again).

Also, under no circumstances would she write a _new_ letter just because the last one got wet.

She couldn't, and she wouldn't. It took a lot of time just writing one, she won't do it aga-

"What're you thinking about?"

Tenten choked on her spit and started to cough. So much that the both of them stopped and Neji was rubbing her back.

By the time her coughing fit was finished, she was red in the face and heaving, while Neji was snickering as he rubbed comforting circles on her back.

"You okay now?" teased Neji.

Tenten glared at him and walked away, leaving him behind.

She could hear his laughter as he caught up with her rapid pace. Honestly, she shouldn't be surprised, he's as tall as they go and she was average in height at best.

_Still, _Tenten thought, _he's so annoying. _

"Come on. What's got your panties in a twist? I know it wasn't due to lack of sleep," prodded Neji.

"And how would you know that?" she snapped at him.

He smiled at her sardonically, his pearl eyes twinkling as if he caught her in a trap.

"Because I called your house last night around eleven," said Neji.

To say she was a bit shocked would be an understatement but she let him continue.

"It was your mom who answered." He gave her a knowing look. "She told me you were already asleep since ten."

_Oh_.

Tenten scrambled for anything to say. An excuse, the goshdamn truth, just to stop herself from looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Well, uh," she stuttered.

A heavy pause enveloped the both of them, and somehow, Tenten _knew_ it was different this time. It wasn't awkward or weird but guarded, tense, and overwrought.

There was a stiffness to his shoulders and an expectant look in his face, almost hopeful and earnest.

But a minute or so had passed and she failed to come up with anything to say.

She saw his shoulders droop, and his back deflate. He gave her a small smile instead.

"It's okay if you're not comfortable sharing. I don't mind," assured Neji, and he started walking again.

Tenten released a breath in relief. She didn't follow him immediately, but took her time looking at his retreating figure.

Something heavy settled in her stomach. It disgruntled her how she wasn't able to go forward with him.

And Neji. Neji has been nothing but incredibly thoughtful and nice towards her, always adjusting to her pace that the fact that he was going forward without her scared her shitless. That was barring graduation and his previous relationship with Kurotsuchi, and how she failed to act about it.

He was getting farther and farther away from her but she was so, so afraid to take that first step.

Her breathing was becoming labored, her heart was pounding a thunderous beat in her chest. She bit her chapped bottom lip. It wasn't a panic attack.

He was still walking, still getting ahead but he stopped, almost as if he just noticed that she wasn't following.

Tenten tensed, anticipating. She took a breath.

Then he looked back.

She ran.

Towards him this time, don't worry.

* * *

_A/n: And it's done! It could've gone a lot of ways, Neji seeing the letter without meaning to or Tenten balking under the pressure not telling him anything at all, but i kinda like this open end more? And also because I was dying to publish this already since I've been holding on to it since September last year._

_ Tell me your thoughts! Especially on the writing style. It's a bit experimental and I've been writing Aversive Stimulus in this way as well so constructive criticism and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Ciao everyone!_

_PS: To **Guest22, **if you find yourself here, thank you so much for the continuous support. Your reviews truly make my day! As such, I'll be posting the first chapter of Aversive Stimulus sometime next week as a sneak peek! Thank you so much again!_


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